RIP George Smoot. My first project in astrophysics was with George's group at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. That summer I showed that the COBE temperature fluctuations were consistent with a Normal distribution, which I did not realize at the time was a confirmation of a prediction of inflation.
Berkeley LabWith sadness and gratitude, we honor George F. Smoot III—Berkeley Lab scientist since 1974 and 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physics—who has passed away at 80. His “baby picture” of the universe changed cosmology. https://elements.lbl.gov/news/honoring-the-legacy-of-george-smoot/ @nobelprize.bsky.social